On the differences between China's traditional philosophy and western philosophy and their influence on Chinese and western cultures

Its meaning is very different. The concept of ontology in western philosophy is often understood intellectually, formally and spiritually, and given more epistemological, epistemological and psychological significance than as a universal entity. However, in China's philosophy, the concept of ontology is often interpreted as something real. In the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi, Tao is the noumenon and Tao is the thing itself. The only way to get the news is

In the process of constantly dissolving the "loss and loss" of the meaning world. Everything has its own noumenon and Tao, so it is possible that Tao lies in rubble and Tao lies in shit. In Buddhist philosophy, especially in Zen Buddhism, Buddha nature is the noumenon, that is, the thing itself. The essence of becoming a Buddha is to abandon all the knowledge and understanding imposed on Buddha by human heart, that is, to separate mind from mind and return to the thing itself. There are great differences between Chinese and western philosophies about the experience of noumenon. In western philosophy, especially in Kant's view, the thing itself is the boundary between human experience and knowledge, which is insurmountable, so it is the absolute law in the field of moral belief and the God on the other side. But in China's philosophy, especially after the formation of Confucian philosophy, ontology can never be divorced from people, even within the "daily rules". Heaven and man are one, and the body is unique, that is, the heart of Tao is the human heart, that is, reason is qi, that is, conscience is righteousness. Therefore, "the painter can be Yao and Shun", everyone can be enlightened and everyone wants to be an emperor. The advantages and disadvantages of China's traditional culture's thought of harmony between man and nature and the western traditional philosophy's thought of dichotomy between subject and object, as well as their contemporary influence; Facing the severe ecological crisis, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to re-examine the thoughts on the relationship between man and nature in Chinese and western traditional cultures. In the universe, the earth is the only living planet we know so far. Human beings are a part of the life system of the earth, the product of the long-term evolution of nature, and the only advanced creature on the earth with a complete knowledge system, value system and moral system. Man is called the spirit of all things, but he is not the master of all things. He can't exist without nature, but should live in harmony with nature, otherwise he will destroy his home. This understanding of the relationship between man and nature has gone through a long historical period, from fear, flattery and affinity to differentiation, exploration and conquest of nature. When human beings can finally hold their heads high and despise nature, they are also mercilessly punished by nature, and finally have to re-examine their position in nature. In the process of human understanding of nature, the discovery of human nature and the establishment of human lofty status are the spiritual forces for human beings to get rid of natural and social slavery. When human beings regard themselves as the masters of nature and destroy and plunder at will, they suddenly realize that they have entered a dead end. Today, when we are faced with global ecological crisis and environmental deterioration, we have to consider taking a road of sustainable development, and to achieve this long-term goal, we must establish a modern concept of the relationship between man and nature.

Of course, correcting people's long-standing misconceptions will not happen overnight. Before discussing the modern concept of the relationship between man and nature, it is necessary to seriously reflect on and liquidate the course of human understanding of nature.

First, the unity of heaven and man-the view of heaven and man in China traditional culture

In the history of ancient philosophy in China, the relationship between man and nature was called the relationship between man and nature. Oriental nations are used to or better at thinking about the relationship between "heaven" and "man" in an interrelated system. Philosophical propositions such as "harmony between man and nature", "Tao" and "Qi" in the history of China's ancient philosophy all embody the idea of "harmony between man and nature" in eastern civilization. There are three forms of this thought: Confucian "the theory of harmony between man and nature" represented by Confucius and Mencius; Zhuangzi's theory of harmony between man and nature and Xunzi's theory of separation between man and nature.

The concept of "harmony between man and nature" came into being earlier. During the Yin and Shang Dynasties, people regarded the "Heaven Emperor" with will as the master of the universe. Conquest, hunting and all other major personnel activities must try to figure out God's will through divination before making a decision. This religious thought was sublimated into a philosophy of heaven and man by Confucius and Mencius in the Yin and Shang Dynasties.

Confucius maintained the supreme dignity of "heaven" and advocated that "God's will" should be used to establish the superior and inferior order of man and coordinate the relationship between man and nature. Mencius developed Confucius' thought of heaven and man. He first demonstrated the theory of natural morality, and then put forward the proposition that "those who do their best to know their nature, know their nature, and then know heaven" This unity of "heaven" with humanity and mind requires people to restrain themselves with moral norms in order to get close to the unity of heaven and man. In the Han Dynasty, Dong Zhongshu further affirmed the theory of "the unity of man and nature" and thought that there were isomorphic categories and isomorphic sequences between man and the laws of nature. On this basis, he put forward some theories, such as "induction between man and nature" and "early warning of different disasters". This systematic thought of "harmony between man and nature" pays attention to social personnel and completely submerges the relationship between man and nature in the imperial power system of China. Neo-Confucianism in Song and Ming Dynasties inherited Dong Zhongshu's systematic theory of "harmony between man and nature" since Qin and Han Dynasties. Starting from idealism, Wang Lu of Zhu Cheng advocated "harmony between man and nature", and human nature became the link between man and nature, thus transforming "harmony between man and nature" into the study of nature.

The idea of "harmony between man and nature" in Confucian culture, represented by Confucius and Mencius, transforms social moral norms into people's inner moral requirements, making people devote themselves to self-cultivation instead of exploring nature externally. Therefore, to a certain extent, although Confucianism hopes to establish a harmonious relationship between man and nature, it has become one of the factors that hinder the development of natural science.

In the history of China's thought, Laozi and Zhuangzi's thought of "the unity of man and nature" is more profound. The relationship between man and nature established by Laozi is an ideal of the unity of man and nature based on inaction. Zhuangzi regards "Qi" as the material basis for the communication between man and nature, and thinks that heaven and earth, things and people are the opposites and synthesis of Yin and Yang Qi, so heaven "connects the world with one ear". This concept of harmony between man and nature is an affirmation of the tacit relationship between man and nature, but this affirmation is based on the denial of man's dominant position and requires man to obey nature unconditionally.

Contrary to the idea of harmony between man and nature, there is a school of separation between man and nature in China's ancient philosophy. The representative of this school is Xunzi. Xunzi believes that "heaven" and "man", heaven and human nature belong to different categories. Xunzi emphasized the separation of heaven and man, and thought that "heaven" and "man" should bear their respective responsibilities. Xunzi put forward "the separation of heaven and man". On the one hand, he interpreted heaven as nature and its changing law; On the other hand, it affirms people's subjective initiative, such as "Heaven has its own routines, not for Yao's survival or future death." Heaven can't interfere with personnel, and people can't go against the laws of nature. Xunzi distinguished between heaven and man, denied the connection between natural change and social chaos, and established the concept that man is a part of nature. At the same time, liberate people from the domination of fate. It can be said that the philosophical proposition of "the separation of man and nature" contains the idea of "the unity of man and nature", which breaks through the Confucian theory of the unity of man and nature, not only recognizes the role of objective laws, but also affirms people's subjective initiative.

Throughout the traditional culture of China, one of the most prominent features is to emphasize the harmony between man and nature, rather than the opposition. Confucianism realized the communication with heaven and the unity of heaven and man through introspection. The so-called "heaven" in Confucianism, though moralized or abstract, can't be completely equal to what we call nature today, but it embodies people's affinity and tolerance for nature. Taoism demonstrates from the perspective of natural philosophy, and advocates the integration of everything with me through "eclecticism" and "body Tao". Although this concept of returning to nature is suspected of passive obedience, it essentially shows the idea that man is a part of nature. As the backbone of China's traditional culture, Confucianism and Taoism have resisted and supplemented each other in history, and their understanding of the relationship between heaven and man has reached the same goal by different routes. The accumulation of * * * has become a stable psychological set and value orientation of China people. Today, when we are facing severe ecological challenges, we should review the ancient thoughts on the relationship between man and nature, and at the same time feel deeply that we should learn nutrition from China traditional culture and re-establish the belief of equality between man and nature.